Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that Estelle Amelia Hutchinson, 53, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Orangeburg County to one count of neglect of a vulnerable adult, one count of criminal conspiracy, and one count of operating a community residential care home without a license.
Judge Charles McCutchen sentenced her to five years in prison, suspended to three years’ active time in the South Carolina Department of Corrections, followed by three years of probation.
Hutchinson is barred from contact with boarding homes, nursing homes, or any other residential care facility for vulnerable adults.
An investigation revealed that between Jan. 16 and Feb. 15, 2024, Hutchinson ordered residents to be confined in locked rooms and denied them access to basic necessities such as food, clothing, medicine, shelter, supervision, medical services, and a safe means of exit.
After the ordeal, the residents were immediately taken into emergency protective custody by law enforcement.
Orangeburg firefighters found a malfunctioning natural gas heater was causing a buildup of fumes inside the residence, requiring the immediate evacuation and venting of the residence.
Hutchinson’s co-conspirator, Tracy Timothy Wright, 52, of Orangeburg, was sentenced April 10 to three years in prison and two years of probation after pleading guilty to neglect of a vulnerable adult and criminal conspiracy.
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Orangeburg care home owner gets prison for locking up residents
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